Pros and Cons of Mixing Bermuda and St Augustine Grass for Your Lawn

When choosing suitable turf grass for your lawn, there are many factors to consider. One option some homeowners explore is mixing St Augustine and Bermuda, two popular warm-season grasses, to create a unique blend that combines the strengths of both species. However, as with any Bermuda or Augustine grass care decision, this approach has pros and cons.

On the positive side, Bermuda grass and St. Augustine grass have advantages. Bermuda naturally grows with drought tolerance, rapid growth, and the ability to withstand heavy foot traffic, making it ideal for outdoor sports and high-traffic areas. St. Augustine lawns tolerate shade, making it a great option if the answer to. Does your property receive midday sun and have areas with partial shade is yes?

Take a sod cutter for a St Augustine, Bermuda mix, and you might have a lawn with a thick turf that is both drought-tolerant and shade-tolerant, creating a lush and thriving yard. Another advantage is it can potentially reduce weed growth. Bermuda grass tends to form a dense turf to help prevent weed seeds from germinating, while St. Augustine grass has a thick growth habit of inhibiting weed growth.

However, there are also potential downsides to mixing Bermuda with St. Augustine lawn. One concern is the potential for the invasive nature of Bermuda to invade grasses. The invasive Bermuda grass grows aggressively and can quickly invade other grasses, including a St. Augustine yard, if not properly managed.

Bermuda grass requires a specific turf-specific irrigation schedule. Mixing it with St. Augustine grass, which has different water requirements, may cause uneven watering and stress on one grass species. In our guide, you can learn if is Bermuda the best grass to mix with St. Augustine? By the end, you’ll better understand a St. Augustine and Bermuda grass mix and if it is suitable for your yard. (Read Wasp Bomb for Under Deck)

What Is Bermuda Grass?

Bermuda grass is drought-resistant, tolerating heat and high temperatures well, making it ideal for lawns in hot climates. Bermuda grass can create a beautiful and healthy lawn when properly maintained and cared for.

What Is St. Augustine Grass?

St. Augustine grass is a warm-season grass commonly used for lawns in the southern United States. It has a coarse texture and a blue-green color, making it an attractive option for many homeowners. The grass grows quickly and spreads quickly through above-ground stolons that produce new plants at each node.

Pros of Mixing Bermuda and St. Augustine Grass

One of the main advantages of mixing Bermuda and St. Augustine grass is that it can increase the durability of your lawn, particularly in regions with hot and dry climates like Southern New Mexico. Since both Bermuda and St. Augustine grass are warm-season turfgrasses, so they are well-suited for these conditions, making them more drought-tolerant than other turf grasses. Another benefit of mixing Bermuda and St. Augustine grass is that it allows you to overseed Bermuda grass during the cooler months when it goes dormant.

Drought Tolerance

A Bermuda, St Augustine mix can have pros and cons for creating a drought-tolerant lawn. While Bermuda grass is known for its drought tolerance and ability to withstand high temperatures, it may create mud puddles in areas with poor drainage because of its shallow root system. However, St. Augustine grass is known for its shade tolerance but requires more water than Bermuda grass. One solution to combine the benefits of both types of grass is to plant Bermuda in sunny areas while using St. Augustine in shaded spots or locations prone to heavy foot traffic.

Shade Tolerance

Regarding shade tolerance, St. Augustine grass is one of the best available options. It can adapt well in partial shade areas and still thrive better than warm-season grasses like Bermuda. However, Bermuda grass requires full sun exposure to grow healthily and does not fare well in shaded environments. If you plan to mix St Augustine with Bermuda, consider several factors before proceeding. Planting Bermuda grass in shady areas for shade-tolerant grass will make it vulnerable to pests and disease problems.

Pest Resistance

One of the advantages of overseeding St. Augustine grass with Bermuda growth is that it can increase your lawn’s pest resistance. Both types of grass have their unique character regarding resisting pests and diseases. For instance, with insects like chinch bugs, gray leaf spot St. Augustine may grow slower than Bermuda’s fast growth.

However, Bermuda lawns have higher tolerance against fungus and diseases like Brown Patch or Dollar Spot than St. Augustine lawns. By mixing these two kinds of turf, you can take advantage of their strengths in battling different kinds of pests or diseases that may harm your lawn. (Learn How Long Does It Take Mortar To Dry)

Cons of Mixing Bermuda and St. Augustine Sod

How does Bermuda grass perform with St. Augustine grass? You’ll find they are not always the best choice for your lawn. One significant drawback is that these two types of grass have different growth patterns, making it challenging to maintain a uniform appearance. St. Augustine grass grows taller and has a coarser texture than Bermuda, which tends to grow low and spread.

Appearance

Mixing Bermuda grass with Augustine grasses can make for a visually appealing lawn, like a warm-season grass zone with full sun. However, regarding the issue of shade tolerance, these two types of grass have very different characteristics.

Bermuda grass is known for its ability to tolerate shade, full sun and high temperatures, while St Augustine lawn thrives in partial or filtered sunlight. If your lawn receives more than 6 hours of direct sunlight daily, mixing Bermuda with St Augustine may not be the best option.

Maintenance

If you live in South Carolina and are considering mixing Bermuda and St Augustine lawns for your lawn, there are a few things to consider regarding maintenance. While both types of grass have distinct advantages, they also require different levels of care depending on the climate and soil conditions.

One significant advantage of Bermuda seed and grass is its ability to tolerate heat and drought conditions, making it a popular choice in Southern states like South Carolina. However, Bermuda grass requires frequent mowing, and is it shows signs of drought stress, fertilizer can help maintain its lush green appearance. However, overseeding St Augustine grass is known for its shade tolerance and lower maintenance needs but may struggle during extreme heat or cold periods.

Cost

One of the most significant factors to consider when thinking about whether to seed Bermuda grass with St Augustine grass for your lawn is the cost. While it may seem like a more economical option, it’s important to take into account the upfront expenses as well as ongoing maintenance costs.

For example, if your Bermuda lawn receives midday sun and you decide to plant Bermuda seedlings, you’ll need to factor in the cost of irrigation systems or regular watering, or you’ll have dead grass afterward.

How to Overseed St. Augustine with Bermuda

One way to overseed St. Augustine and plant Bermuda grass is to first prepare the lawn by mowing it short and removing any debris or dead grass. Then, use a rake to loosen up the soil and remove any thatch buildup on the lawn. Next, apply a layer of Bermuda seed over the St. Augustine grass at a rate of 2-3 pounds per 1,000 square feet. Lightly rake the seed into the soil and water thoroughly.

Overall, adding Bermuda grass seed to an existing St. Augustine lawn or sod turf can be a great way to increase your lawn’s density and improve its appearance but requires careful consideration of watering needs to avoid creating mud puddles or other issues related to excess moisture on your lawn surface!

Remove the St. Augustine

Mixing St Augustine with Bermuda lawn territory can be a challenging task. However, it is possible to achieve an aesthetically pleasing result if you are aware of the pros and cons of this combination. However, one significant drawback of using St. Augustine grass with invasive Bermuda, is its susceptibility to pests like chinch bugs and sod webworms which could destroy your lawn if left unchecked.

To prevent these pests from becoming a problem, many homeowners choose to remove or reduce the amount of St. Augustine sprigs in their lawns altogether. A sod cutter can also help remove Augustine from the mix,

Overseed with Bermuda

Overseeding with Bermuda grass is a great option if you have St. Augustine grass that has been damaged or thinned out. One issue with overseeding with Bermuda is that it can be aggressive and may outcompete the St. Augustine for nutrients and space, which could lead to scalped St. Augustine grass if not managed properly.

Nevertheless, overseeding with Bermuda can help keep pulling grass on your lawn healthy and green during summer months when the St. Augustine may struggle because of high temperatures and lack of moisture.

 

Can You Overseed St. Augustine with Bermuda Without Killing St. Augustine First?

Overseeding St. Augustine with Bermuda is possible without killing the former, but it requires patience and care. The key to success lies in carefully timing the overseeding process and ensuring that both types of grass receive adequate amounts of water, sunlight, and nutrients. Additionally, regular maintenance practices like mowing and collecting grass clippings can help keep both grasses healthy. (Learn How Long Do Roses Last)

Scalp Your Lawn

One popular method of achieving a healthy lawn is by scalping it. This process involves mowing your grass to its lowest height setting to remove any dead or brown patches may have accumulated over time. It’s important to weigh the pros and cons before deciding whether to scalp your lawn regularly.

While this technique can help keep healthy grass and your yard looking neat and healthy, it also requires careful attention to detail and proper upkeep to avoid unintended consequences like all the dead grass left behind after a heavy cut.

Overseed with Bermuda

Regarding lawn maintenance, homeowners often find themselves in a dilemma of choosing between St Augustine with Bermuda grass. While both types have their unique benefits, some homeowners prefer a mix of both. If you still choose to overseed with Bermuda, experts recommend starting by scalping your current St Augustine turf low before planting Bermuda seeds or introducing sprigs of St Augustine into new Bermuda seed or grass.

Continue to Mow Low

One of the pros of mixing Bermuda and St Augustine grass is that they can complement each other’s strengths. Bermuda grass grows quickly and can tolerate drought, while St Augustine grass thrives in the shade and has a dark green color.

Bermuda grass spreads through above and rhizomes grow underneath ground stolons, while St Augustine grass spreads through below ground rhizomes. This means that if you want to maintain a uniform lawn, you’ll need to be vigilant about pulling any Bermuda grass that starts encroaching on your St Augustine areas. Otherwise, you may end up with patchy areas where one type of grass dominates over the other.

Can You Mix Bermuda Grass with St. Augustine?

Mixing Bermuda and St. Augustine grass can be tricky, as they have different growth patterns and watering needs. Both are warm-season grasses that thrive in the same zone but mixing them on your lawn may cause an uneven appearance because of their contrasting textures and colors.

One of the benefits of mixing Bermuda and St. Augustine grass is that they have different maintenance requirements, which can help reduce your lawn’s maintenance schedule. Bermuda requires frequent mowing and fertilization, while St. Augustine needs less water than its counterpart during hot summer months but more when it’s cooler weather or winter season.

Will Bermuda Grass Take Over St Augustine?

Regarding mixing rather than having a pure Bermuda grass lawn, there are some concerns about whether you can accidentally encourage Bermuda to take over the St Augustine. Bermuda grass is a warm-season grass those spreads aggressively through above-ground runners known as stolons. However, St Augustine is a more shade-tolerant and slower-growing grass that grows through below-ground stems called rhizomes. While Bermuda grows fast and can outcompete St Augustine sod in full sun areas, it isn’t the most shade tolerant grass, and may struggle in shady parts as part of a Augustine and Bermuda green lawn.